A free lecture on how to handle oil spill stress is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the University of South Alabama's main campus in Mobile.

"We don't want people to think they are abnormal or sick because of this," said Dr. Ronald Franks, vice president for health sciences and professor of psychiatry at USA's College of Medicine, who will speak at the lecture.

"Some will have more extreme responses to the stress and would benefit from counseling and medication. For most people, they will want to be reassured that what they are experiencing is not unusual."

The talk is part of The Med School Café lecture series. Though it's free, reservations are required.

Those who attend will be able to ask questions.

Dr. Sandra Parker, vice chair of the department of psychiatry at USA and chief medical officer of AltaPointe Health Systems, also will lead the interactive forum.

Parker is expected to talk about how children may need help coping with the stress, as well additional resources available through AltaPointe.

"We want people to be able to walk out with some resources," Franks said, "so if they are having trouble they will know who to turn to."